which thousands go forth without any cause of perfonal quarrel, and massacre 1773. `each other. Etat. 64.

On Wednesday, April 21, I dined with him at Mr. Thrale's. A gentleman attacked Garrick for being vain. JOHNSON. "No wonder, Sir, that he is vain; a man who is perpetually flattered in every mode that can be conceived. So many bellows have blown the fire, that one wonders he is not by this time become a cinder." BOSWELL." And fuch bellows too. Lord Mansfield with his cheeks like to burft: Lord Chatham like an Aolus. I have read fuch notes from them to him as were enough to turn his head." JOHNSON. "True. When he whom every body else flatters, flatters me, I then am truly happy." MRS. THRALE. "The fentiment is in Congreve, I think." JOHNSON. "Yes, Madam, in The Way of the World :'

If there's delight in love, 'tis when I fee

That heart which others bleed for, bleed for me.'

No, Sir, I fhould not be furprized though Garrick chained the ocean, and lashed the winds." BOSWELL. "Should it not be, Sir, lafhed the ocean and chained the winds?" JOHNSON. "No, Sir; recollect the original :

• In Corum atque Eurum folitus fævire flagellis

• Barbarus, Æolio nunquam hoc in carcere paffos,

Ipfum compedibus qui vinxerat Eunofigæum."

This does very well, when both the winds and the fea are perfonified and mentioned by their mythological names, as in Juvenal; but when they are mentioned in plain language, the application of the epithets suggested by me, is the most obvious; and accordingly my friend himself, in his imitation of the paffage which defcribes Xerxes, has

"The waves he lafhes, and enchains the wind."

The modes of living in different countries, and the various views with which men travel in queft of new fcenes, having been talked of, a learned gentleman who holds a confiderable office in the law, expatiated on the happiness of a favage life; and mentioned an inftance of an officer who had actually lived for some time in the wilds of America, of whom, when in that state, he quoted this reflection with an air of admiration, as if it had been deeply philofophical: "Here am I, free and unreftrained, amidst the rude magnificence of Nature, with this Indian woman by my fide, and this gun, with which I can

1773.

Etat. 64.

procure food when I want it: what more can be defired for human happinefs?" It did not require much fagacity to forefee that fuch a fentiment would not be permitted to pass without due animadverfion. JOHNSON. "Do not allow yourself, Sir, to be impofed upon by fuch grofs abfurdity. It is fad stuff; it is brutish. If a bull could speak, he might as well exclaim,-Here am I with this cow and this grafs; what being can enjoy greater felicity?"

We talked of the melancholy end of a gentleman who had destroyed himfelf. JOHNSON. "It was owing to imaginary difficulties in his affairs, which, had he talked with any friend, would foon have vanished." BOSWELL. "Do you think, Sir, that all who commit fuicide are mad?" JOHNSON. “Sir, they are often not univerfally difordered in their intellects, but one paffion preffes fo upon them that they yield to it, and commit fuicide, as a paffionate man will stab another." He added, "I have often thought, that after a man has taken the refolution to kill himself, it is not courage in him to do any thing, however defperate, because he has nothing to fear." GOLDsmith. "I don't fee that." JOHNSON. "Nay but, my dear Sir, why fhould not your fee what every one else fees?" GOLDSMITH. "It is for fear of fomething that he has refolved to kill himself; and will not that timid disposition restrain him?" JOHNSON. "It does not fignify that the fear of fomething made him refolve; it is upon the ftate of his mind after the refolution is taken, that I argue. Suppofe a man, either from fear, or pride, or confcience, or whatever motive, has refolved to kill himself; when once the refolution is taken, he has nothing to fear. He may then go and take the King of Pruffia by the nofe, at the head of his army. He cannot fear the rack, who is refolved to kill himself. When Euftace Budgel was walking down to the Thames determined to drown himfelf, he might, if he pleafed, without any apprehenfion of danger, have turned afide, and first set fire to St. James's palace."

On Tuesday, April 27, Mr. Beauclerk and I called on him in the morning. As we walked up Johnson's-court, I faid, "I have a veneration for this court;" and was glad to find that Beauclerk had the fame reverential enthusiasm. We found him alone. We talked of Mr. Andrew Stuart's elegant and plausible Letters to Lord Mansfield; a copy of which had been sent by the authour to Dr. Johnfon. JOHNSON. "They have not anfwered the end. They have not been talked of: I have never heard of them. This is owing to their not being fold. People feldom read a book which is given to them; and few are given. The way to fpread a work is to fell it at a low price. No man will fend to buy a thing that cofts even fix-pence, without an intention to read it." BOSWELL. "May it not be doubted, Sir, whether it be proper to publish

I

1773

publifh letters, arraigning the ultimate decifion of an important caufe by the supreme judicature of the nation?" JOHNSON. "No, Sir, I do not think it Ætat. 64. was wrong to publish these letters. If they are thought to do harm, why not answer them? But they will do no harm. If Mr. Douglas be indeed the fon of Lady Jane, he cannot be hurt: if he be not her fon, and yet has the great eftate of the family of Douglas, he may well fubmit to have a pamphlet. against him by Andrew Stuart. Sir, I think such a publication does good, as it does good to shew us the poffibilities of human life. And, Sir, you will not say that the Douglas caufe was a cause of eafy decifion, when it divided. your Court as much as it could do, to be determined at all. When your Judges were seven and seven, the casting vote of the President must be given on one fide or other; no matter, for my argument, on which; one or the other must be taken; as when I am to move, there is no matter which leg I move first. And then, Sir, it was otherwise determined here. No, Sir, a more dubious determination of any question cannot be imagined"."

He faid, "Goldsmith fhould not be for ever attempting to fhine in conversation: he has not temper for it, he is so much mortified when he fails. Sir, a game of jokes is compofed partly of fkill, partly of chance. A man may be beat at times by one who has not the tenth part of his wit. Now Goldfmith's putting himself against another, is like a man laying a hundred to one who cannot spare the hundred. It is not worth a man's while. A man fhould not lay a hundred to one, unless he can easily spare it, though he has a hundred chances for him: he can get but a guinea, and he may lofe a hundred. Goldsmith is in this ftate. When he contends, if he gets the better, it is a little addition to a man of his literary reputation: if he does not get the better, he is miferably vexed."

very

Johnson's own fuperlative power of wit fet him above any risk of fuch uneafinefs. Garrick had remarked to me of him, a few days before, "Rabelais and all other wits are nothing compared with him. You may be diverted by them; but Johnson gives you a forcible hug, and fhakes laughter out of you, whether you will or no."

• I regretted that Dr. Johnson never took the trouble to study a question which interefted nations. He would not even read a pamphlet which I wrote upon it, entitled "The Effence of the Douglas Caufe," which, I have reason to flatter myself, had confiderable effect in favour of Mr. Douglas ; of whofe legitimate filiation I was then, and am ftill, firmly convinced. Let me add, that no fact can be more refpectably afcertained, than by a judgement of the most auguft tribunal in the world; a judgement, in which Lord Mansfield and Lord Camden united in 1769, and from which only five of a numerous body entered a proteft. Fff 2

Goldfmith,

1773.

Etat. 64.

Goldsmith, however, was often very fortunate in his witty contests, even when he entered the lifts with Johnson himself. Sir Joshua Reynolds was in company with them one day, when Goldfmith faid, that he thought he could write a good fable, mentioned the fimplicity which that kind of compofition requires, and obferved, that in moft fables the animals introduced feldom talk in character. "For inftance, (faid he,) the fable of the little fishes, who faw. birds fly over their heads, and envying them, petitioned Jupiter to be changed into birds. The skill (continued he,) confifts in making them talk like little fishes." While he indulged himfelf in this fanciful reverie, he observed Johnfon fhaking his fides, and laughing. Upon which he fmartly proceeded, "Why, Dr. Johnson, this is not fo eafy as you feem to think; for if you were to make little fifhes talk, they would talk like WHALES."

Johnson, though remarkable for his great variety of compofition, never exercised his talents in fable, except we allow his beautiful tale published in Mrs. Williams's Mifcellanies to be of that species. I have, however, found among his manufcript collections the following sketch of one:

"Glow-worm lying in the garden faw a candle in a neighbouring palace,and complained of the littleness of his own light ;-another obferved-wait a little ;-foon dark ;-have outlafted mox [many] of these glaring lights which only are brighter as they hafte to nothing.'

On Thursday, April 29, I dined with him at General Oglethorpe's, where were Sir Joshua Reynolds, Mr. Langton, Dr. Goldsmith, and Mr. Thrale. I was very defirous to get Dr. Johnson abfolutely fixed in his refolution to go with me to the Hebrides this year; and I told him that I had received a letter from Dr. Robertson the hiftorian upon the subject, with which he was much pleased, and now talked in fuch a manner of his long-intended tour, that I was fatisfied he meant to fulfil his engagement.

The custom of eating dogs at Otaheite being mentioned, Goldfmith observed, that this was also a custom in China; that a dog-butcher is as common there as any other butcher; and that when he walks abroad all the dogs fall on him. JOHNSON. "That is not owing to his killing dogs, Sir. I remember a butcher at Lichfield, whom a dog that was in the house where I' lived, always attacked. It is the fiell of carnage which provokes this, let the animals he has killed be what they may." GOLDSMITH. "Yes, there is a general abhorrence in animals at the figns of maffacre. If you put a tub full of blood into a stable, the horses are like to go mad." JOHNSON. "I doubt that." GOLDSMITH. "Nay, Sir, it is a fact well authenticated." THRALE. "You had better prove it before you put it into your book on natural history.

You

You may do it in my ftable if you will." JOHNSON. "Nay, Sir, I would 1773. not have him prove it. If he is content to take his information from others, Etat. 64. he may get through his book with little trouble, and without much endangering his reputation. But if he makes experiments for fo comprehenfive a book as his, there would be no end to them; his erroneous affertions would then. fall upon himself; and he might be blamed for not having made experiments as to every particular."

The character of Mallet having been introduced, and spoken of flightingly by Goldfmith; JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, Mallet had talents enough to keep his literary reputation alive as long as he himself lived; and that, let me tell you, is a good deal." GOLDSMITH. "But I cannot agree that it was fo. His literary reputation was dead long before his natural death. I confider an authour's literary reputation to be alive only while his name will enfure a good price for his. copy from the bookfellers. I will get you (to Johnson,) a hundred guineas for any thing whatever that you fhall write, if you put your name to it." Dr. Goldsmith's new play, " She stoops to conquer," being mentioned; JOHNSON. "I know of no comedy for many years that has fo much exhilarated an audience, that has anfwered fo much the great end of comedy,→→ making an audience merry.”

Goldfinith having faid, that Garrick's compliment to the Queen, which he introduced into the play of The Chances,' which he had altered and revised this year, was mean and grofs flattery;-JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, I would not: write, I would not give folemnly under my hand a character beyond what I thought really true; but a speech on the stage, let it flatter ever so extravagantly, is formular.. It has always been formular to flatter Kings and Queens ;, fo much fo, that even in our church-fervice we have our most religious. King,' used indifcriminately, whoever is King.. Nay, they even flatter them-felves; we have been graciously pleased to grant.'-No modern flattery, how.. ever, is fo grofs as that of the Auguftan age, where the Emperour was deified.. Præfens Divus habebitur Auguftus.' And as to meanness, (rifing into warmth,); how is it mean in a player,-a fhowman,-a fellow who exhibits himself fora fhilling, to flatter his Queen? The attempt, indeed, was dangerous; for if: it had miffed, what became of Garrick, and what became of the Queen?. As Sir William Temple fays of a great General, it is neceffary not only that. his designs should be formed in a masterly manner, but that they should be · attended with fuccefs. Sir, it is right, at a time when the Royal Family is not generally liked, to let it be feen that the people like at least one of them." SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS. "I do not perceive why the profession of a.

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